Because the entry had been unregistered there had been no way of contacting the individual, leading to a long search for the winner following the draw on January 11.

Scole Lotto & News in Brunswick, where the ticket was sold in January this year. Credit:Paul Jeffers

The winner – who has decided to remain anonymous – took their lucky ticket to the Tatts office in Melbourne on Wednesday, seven days before the whopping $55 million prize was due to be transferred to the Victorian State Revenue Office.

When it was drawn, it was the highest Australian lottery jackpot in more than a year, and became the largest unclaimed prize in Australian history.

Under Victorian regulations, players have six months to claim their prize directly from Tatts before it is transferred.

The owner of Scole Lotto & News Sam Misiano said it was a relief the winner had come forward.

“We still won’t know who bought the ticket, if it was a regular or a visitor, but it’s just great knowing that it has been claimed and they can enjoy it," he said.

“It has been a crazy few months but now we can relax knowing it has been claimed by the rightful winner.”

Sam Misiano, owner of Scole Lotto and News in Brunswick's Barkly Square, where the winning ticket was sold.

During the search for the winner, Mr Misiano said customers had started to ask to touch his hands and rub his head or face for luck. He said in late January he had heard every excuse from customers as to why they might be the winner but had lost their ticket, with some even asking to see the store's CCTV.

"I've had so many numbers now with stories. One lady believed she threw the ticket away," he said.

In a statement, Tatts said the public may never know who the winner is because they want to keep their identity a secret.

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"Exactly who the winner is, where they’ve been and what they plan to do with their multi-million-dollar payday will forever remain a mystery as they have chosen to remain completely anonymous and celebrate in private," it said.

Tatts spokesperson Bronnie Spencer said the hunt had "captured the imagination of the nation", but added the reason the individual had not come forward sooner was still unclear.

“The mystery continues as the reason behind the delay in coming forward has not be revealed. Nor will we know exactly how the winner’s multi-million-dollar dreams have come true," said Ms Spencer.

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Victoria and Tasmania are the only states in the county that will honour a lottery win forever, with other state governments imposing deadlines on how long someone has to claim their prize.

In NSW and the ACT, the deadline to claim a prize is six years, while Queenslanders have seven years to make good on their winnings.

In South Australia and Western Australia, people are given just one year to come forward before the cash is forfeited to the Treasury.